Mine-car wheel.



`. J. s. sKELL-Y.

MINE CAR WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1910.

1,015,851. Patented Ja11.23, 1912.

INVENTOR .fai/7 g l LJOHN s. sxnLLY, or jiuononenrrnrn, rnNNsYIivANIA.

MINE-CAR "weinenl 1' y Specification f Letters Patent. Y Patlflted J 3,11; 1912.'

l Appnatn med mitV 21, 1910, serial No. 568,235. 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-IN S'. lS-xnnmr, a

resident ofMonongahela, in4 the county 'of lVashington and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Mine-Car Wheels, off which the following is a specication. v j This invention'relates tocar wheels which rotate on their journals, and has particiilar 1: reference to wheels for mine cars and other services where the 'wheel bearings `are exposed to much dirt andrdust which causes them to wear rapidly, the wheels becoming unserviceable in many instances through wearing out the hub orbearing portion although the rim or treadshows no 'appreciable wear.

The present invention provides a wheel having a separable or removable boxoralin'- ing which is the partv subject tothe greatest wear and which may be replaced when worn out, the hub proper and the rimor tread continuing in use as long as it is serviceable. I f f In adapting the invention to self-oil-ing Wheels such as are used on mine cars, a further object is to so construct the box and hub as to provide an oil reservoir, with means for feeding the oil to the journal or axle. In this development of the wheel, the hub is preferably of the-cap type, z'. e., closed at its outer end save for a central oil admit= ting aperture, the box being entered therein through the inner or open end of the hub and arranged with a portion adapted to, close such open end Vwhen the box is fully inl-` yserted. The box andhub or Wheel proper may be variously united. In the.1 preferred adaptation for mineI cars, the box is first confined on the axle, and then the Wheel proper is slipped thereoverfand itandthe box are keyed together, holding the Wheel in position on the box, with saidfparts rigidly united and turning in unison.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a portion of the improved wheel designed especially for mine carfservice,the

Wheel hub and its separate box being shownin section, Fig. 2 is a cross-section on ,the offset line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 'is a cross-section of a portion of the-wheel hub and box, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the wheel rim or tread, 3 the spokes," and 4 the hollow hub,`s,aid parts being `preferably cast integral,-as'is customary with this. type fof wheel. Ink the present 'enibodil ment, the hub is of cap-form, e/its outer i end t. is cappedorclosefd, save for a central;y

oil admitting 4aperture 5.' Thebore'o'f1 the' hub is` relativelylarge, and is smooth save for the two shown. j 7 is the sleeve-likeboxwhich has'a turning fit onthe axle .journal 8., In cross-section' sleeve 7 is materially .smaller than thekbore centric relation by the linterposeol ribs 9,

parallel `ribs 6 spaced apart asY yof the hub, but the pants arevheldfin cony and inthe preferred embodiment these ribs Y are integral withsleeve or box 7 and exactly Aviitwithin the hub' with the latter andthe box in concentric relation, as shown. Three ribs are here shown, andy one of1L them,"9, is 'preferably slightly thicker or wider than the-other two and hasa close fit between the hub ribs 6, ...and as vthe hubr ribs correspond in length to rib 9tit will be seen that ,the parts are held rigidly together throughout practically the whole length of jthebearing. In the." present adaptation, the boxing is. first applied to the axle upon which it is secured 4by y,a cotter .10, and then the wheel` i hub is slipped thereon, the enlarged or heads like inner portion 11 of the box closing the inner or open end of the hub, and when the partsf are thus assembled a tapered key 12 is entered in a keyway formed through 'the wheel khiib, its two la'ngesi' and the` box rib 9,w:ith the smaller end of the key vbent` to oneside,v as in Fig. 2,.'to lhold in place. The hub bore and the outerfaces of thebox l,ribsfare' formed withl just sufficient taper to insure .altight' litfwhen the parts are as sembled, l`thev extremity of .the lhub fitting overthe annular shoulder 13 on theinnerf' face 'of the headed portion 11, and.1v pref-V erablywith a-felt jorif'other Washer 14S be" ,tween the extremity of the hub and the face ofv head1 11. Y Y v.It `willbe noted thatv the hub is longer 'thanfthe box over whichV it lits', with the excess length at the 'froiit orouter end :of the hub and in effect; constituting cap portion L1.

The ,space within this cap portion is j slightlyl deeper or wider than the yprojecting j portion ofthe axle,fsothat the oil may be Thel freely entered at the central inlet 5.

space' fwithin the c apvportion, and also the Y space between box 7 andthe hubv bore and dividedby ribs 9, 9,, constitutes an oil reservoir,"with"ports 15 through the box, preferably adjacent its'linn'er end, for passing oil to axle 8. So long as the amount of oil injected does no-t rise above the plane of the bottom of inlet 5, there can be no considerable waste, and as the wheel rotates it will be seen that the ribs 9, 9', carry the oil up and around the axle, causing it to work through ports l5, and with said ports at the inner end of the box the oil will tend to work along the axle toward the box securing means, as will be understood. The direct securing means (cotter 10) is wholly inclosed by the hub and there can be no accidental or other removal thereof as sometimes oeeurs when the securing means is exposed and accessible.

With the separable hub and boxing as herein proposed, the boxing may be made of such grade of metal as is best suited for the purpose, and the same is true of the hub, spokes and rim. rlhe cost of the wheel is thereby minimized, and furthermore it is entirely practicable to cast the wheel with straight spokes, as the absence of a large mass of metal in the hub-usual in wheels as now constructed-allows uniform shrinkage and produces a wheel without casting stresses due to shrinking. Hence, the spokes may be straight without danger of breaking, and need not be curved, as heretofore.

As before noted, the hubs of mine car wheels wear rapidly and frequently become unserviceable before the rims show any wear at all. With the present invention the wheel proper may be used as long as it is serviceable, it being necessary to renew only the worn part.

I claim:

l. The combination of a wheel hub hav- `ing two longitudinal ribs projecting inaxle box, longitudinal ribs on one of fsaid parts which space apart the hub and axle to provide lubricant space, longitudinal ribs on the other of said parts adapted to receive therebetween one of the first mentioned ribs, said coperating ribs and the hub formed with alining transverse apertures, and a tapered key extended through the apertures with its extremity bent at the exterior of the hub to confine it in place.

3. The combination of a car wheel having a hollow internally tapered hub, an axle box smaller than the hub interior and having external longitudinal projections tapered on their outer faces to fit within the tapered hub, separated ribs on the inner surface of the hub between which one of the box projections is entered when the parts are assembled, the hub being formed with a transverse keyway which extends through said ribs and the box projection between the ribs having a similar keyway which registers therewith when the parts are assembled, and a tapered key entered in the keyways for forcing and holding the parts in tightly fitting relation.

4t. The combination of a car wheel having a hollow hub open at its inner end and closed at its outer end save for an oil inlet, the interior of the hub tapered inwardly from its open end, an axle-box tapered on its exterior to removably tit within the tapered hub, the box having a headed portion which closes the open end of the hub, packing interposed between said head and the hub extremity, the hub and the box formed with a transverse keyway, and a tapered key entered in the keyway for wedging and holding the interiitting parts in close relation with said packing compressed between the parts conlining the same.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. SKELLY.

Witnesses:

J. M. Nnsrr, F. E. GAITHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

